Alumni & parents

Hanford Challenge

Colloquium speaker to address issues related to cleanup and employee safety at Hanford Site

Hanford Challenge works to create a future for the Hanford Nuclear Site that secures human health and safety, advances accountability, and promotes a sustainable environmental legacy.

Nikolas Peterson, a Seattle attorney with Hanford Challenge and 2009 Walla Walla University graduate, will present “Justice for Hanford Nuclear Site Workers: Ensuring a Safe Cleanup through Advocacy and Legal Representation” on Thursday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Administration Building, room 117, on the WWU campus.

Just a few miles from the Columbia River, the Hanford Site is the most contaminated site in the United States, with 56 million gallons of radioactive waste stored in old, leaky underground tanks. There is a plan to clean up the site, but after more than 20 years and $19 billion dollars spent, none of the worst waste has been treated. Hanford Challenge advocates for workers at the Hanford Site to help ensure safe and effective cleanup. The organization works mostly with Hanford employees who raise nuclear safety concerns, become sick or injured on the job, or raise issues of waste, fraud, and abuse. Hanford Challenge also works to effect change at the Hanford Site by building coalitions with major stakeholders, including the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Hanford unions, Native American tribes, and public citizen groups.

Peterson’s talk is free and open to the public. The WWU Administration Building is located at 204 S. College Ave. in College Place.